Grace Notes: Some days it feels like Mitch Landrieu is the only major Democrat who's not running for president

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu left office a year ago Tuesday, and the first few months afterwards were marked by speculation over whether he would join the 2020 Democratic presidential field.

Now that he’s all but officially taken a pass, another question looms: Is Landrieu the only major Democrat out there who’s not running?

CNN’s count is now up to 21 women and men who hope to face off against President Donald Trump next year, and there’s word that a 22nd, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, could be considering it.

Once upon a time, going from mayor to president might have seemed a stretch, which could have entered into Landrieu’s thought process. But given the attention that Pete Buttigieg, mayor of modestly populated South Bend, Indiana, has drawn, maybe not. Certainly lots of people seem more interested in the young, multi-lingual and openly gay Buttigieg’s story than in de Blasio’s.

After he led the charge to take down the city’s Confederate monuments, there was plenty of interest in Landrieu too, even though the former New Orleans mayor has said for quite some time that he was likely to back former Vice President Joe Biden. That early show of support could position Landrieu well for a significant job in a possible Biden administration.

Of course, presidential also-rans frequently turn up in those roles as well, and there will be a whole bunch of them no matter who the Democratic nominee is.

There is one thing that could make Landrieu stand out in this crowd, though, and it’s that he was one of the few potential presidents to sit this one out.